Development Areas
Development areas are economic and technological development zones, bonded areas, new- and high-tech industrial development zones, national tourist resorts, and other designated zones set up within the jurisdiction of cities, at the approval of the State Council and the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government, in which preferential state policies are implemented.
These areas are windows on China's opening to the outside world, key centers to attract foreign investment, and powerhouses to boost the regional economy. They have become important growth poles in China's economy and modern industrial cluster regions. They have the fastest growth, attract the most foreign investment, offer the best investment environment, and develop the most advanced technologies.
The goals of the development areas include increasing their functional strengths and becoming leaders in new industrialization, demonstration areas with high-standard business environment, cluster centers for widespread innovation and entrepreneurship, and pioneers in open economy and institutional innovation. They aim to foster new driving forces for economic growth through supply-side structural reforms.
National-level development areas such as economic and technological development zones, new- and high-tech industrial development zones, and special customs regulation zones are expected to play an exemplary role in leading advanced manufacturing, strategic emerging industries, and process trade and in meeting international standards, in order to build high-quality industrial parks that can compete on the global stage and create park brands with international influence.
Provincial-level economic development zones, industrial parks, and new- and high-tech industrial parks rely on regional strengths to pool factors of production, improve the business environment to international standards, and develop dominant industries, with extended industrial chains and complete supplementary facilities, in order to grow into regional growth poles and drive the upgrading of the local economic structure.
开发区
开发区，即由国务院和省、自治区、直辖市人民政府批准在城市规划区内设立的经济技术开发区、保税区、高新技术产业开发区、国家旅游度假区等实行国家特定优惠政策的各类开发区。开发区被视为中国对外开放的窗口、吸引外资的主要区域以及发展区域经济的引擎。自诞生以来，开发区已成为中国经济发展最快、吸引外资最多、投资环境最优、技术水平最高的现代化产业集聚园区，成为中国经济重要的增长极。
开发区建设发展的目标是，增强功能优势，把各类开发区建设成为新型工业化发展的引领区、高水平营商环境的示范区、大众创业万众创新的集聚区、开放型经济和体制创新的先行区，推进供给侧结构性改革，形成经济增长的新动力。经济技术开发区、高新技术产业开发区、海关特殊监管区域等国家级开发区发挥示范引领作用，突出先进制造业、战略性新兴产业、加工贸易等产业特色，主动对接国际通行规则，建设具有国际竞争力的高水平园区，打造具有国际影响力的园区品牌。经济开发区、工业园区、高新技术产业园区等省级开发区依托区域资源优势，推动产业要素集聚，提升营商环境国际化水平，向主导产业明确、延伸产业链条、综合配套完备的方向发展，成为区域经济增长极，带动区域经济结构优化升级。
